The GOOD 100: Bundanoon, Australia

The Bottled-water Boycott

When the small town of Bundanoon, Australia, two hours south of Sydney, decided almost unanimously this summer to prohibit the sale of bottled water, it was the first ban of its kind in the world. Residents of Bundy, as it is affectionately called, were motivated by environmental concerns, sure, but they also wanted to block a bottled-water company from taking local tap water, bottling it in Sydney, then shipping it back to Bundy to sell. To keep people hydrated, local businesses now refill water bottles for free, and the city plans to install public water fountains throughout the town. Bundy's ban won't destroy the entire bottled-water industry, but it will reduce plastic trash, mobilize the city to develop its public-water resources, and-perhaps most important-spark communities around the world to follow suit.